User reviews

This movie largely succeeds, despite giving away its premise from the start, as both a nail-biting dramatic thriller and poignant social commentary on unhealthy relationship dynamics. Does it have plot holes? Yes. Do they spoil the movie to the extent some reviews are suggesting? Not unless you are uncommonly cynical and picky.

This is not an HG Wells Invisible man. I've read the book, and this is not it.

I was skeptical that a rather worn horror/thriller trope could yield fresh frights, and while I don't think the scares are all incredibly original, the film does what it sets out to do. It was infuriating to constantly know that a jump-scare was looming on the horizon, yet still feel jolted in that disconcerting way that makes jump-scares an enduring staple of the genre. I want to complain that the sparse soundtrack and tired inception "booj" effects were unfairly wielded or that the timid, slow-pan camera was applied too often, but honestly, it worked. I could have done with less predictability in the sound design, however. I was scared, despite myself. I was thrilled. And isn't that what thrillers are supposed to do? It kept me on the edge of the seat.

Acting was solid, with the lead giving a praiseworthy performance of a harried, mentally unstable victim, whose mannerisms and appearance gradually deteriorate into convincing madness. Her character is believable in ways that Barbieesque horror girls often are not. She possesses an every-woman charisma reminiscent of the first Halloween movie, or Drew Barrymore's Scream opener, seems impossibly average, and the audience is both compelled to empathize and also dared to question her sanity, so that the plot manages to leave a few questions to be answered until the closer (and perhaps even after). It's not a cliffhanger or a I-didn't-see-that-coming movie, but it's still satisfying.

If you like a good thriller, see it. If you like a good psychological thriller, see it. If you like fast-paced thrillers, maybe pass on this one. If you nitpick plot holes, go suck on a lemon and frown at the mirror, or stretch your imagination and enjoy this simple, but entertaining, ride.

It's worth the price of admission.

(I made it all the way through with no "invisible" puns, and I'm quite proud of myself)

Leigh Whannell is not a subtle filmmaker - at least, that's what I used to think. The Saw and Insidious movies are over-the-top and shocking, which is fine, and I enjoyed Upgrade quite a bit, but I was afraid the Invisible Man would fall into the same trap of shock-value over substance. Thankfully, I was wrong.

From the opening scene, the movie sucks you in with tension and unease. Cecilia (Elizabeth Moss) is trying to escape from her abusive boyfriend while he is asleep, and with practically no dialogue or exposition, we immediately understand the situation and feel for Moss' character. She's trapped in an abusive relationship and fears for her life. It's a testament to Whannell's deliberate direction, using visual cues to give us the information we need while slowly ratcheting up the suspense. The movie is not reliant on jump scares. There are a few, but they're 100% earned and actually effective because we care about the characters. The excellent score helps add to the atmosphere, alternating between pulsating ambience and melancholy orchestral bits.

From the concise writing, likable characters, clever directing, a powerhouse lead performance, and a genuinely scary villain, The Invisible Man gets just about everything right. I suppose you could nitpick some of the logic, but that's missing the point. It's a film about gaining freedom from a toxic relationship, and Whannell knows exactly how to pace the story so that we don't spend too much time dwelling on potential plot holes. Overall, a gripping and expertly crafted psychological thriller.

It was enjoyable. It was mostly predictable, but was still pretty well done and the turns towards the end made it much better.

This is a film about an abusive relationship and what is does to the tormented, well... except it's not. Around halfway through the story turns away from a suspenceful psychological thriller and shapes itself into a rather generic, mainstream, twisty and predictable piece.

After seeing this I thought the movie works because of Elisabeth Moss's work as lead actress. Her Cecilia is present in almost evey scene and her acting range, her connection to the character and her talent is what elevates this film a couple steps above your typical low-budget thriller. Also speaking of budget, the film is VERY good looking for just a 7 million. I've had some fun with this, I wish it could have gone a different path but it's what it is I guess.

Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) is trapped in a highly controlling and violent relationship with technology mogul Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Escaping from his fortress-like home, she lives in fear of his retribution. So she is much relieved, if a little surprised, at the report of his suicide. Now living with old friend James Lanier (Aldis Hodge) and his teenage daughter Sydney (Storm Reid), Cecilia can finally start to relax. But as strange things start to happen, is the ghost of Griffin back to haunt her? Or is it really all in her rapidly disintegrating mind, as her sister Emily (Harriet Dyer) and James suspect?

Australian writer/director Leigh Whannell is famous as the writer behind the "Saw" and "Insidious" franchises. So he knows a thing or two about crafting horror movies. And in this Blumhouse production, after a clever attention-grabbing opening, he really takes his time in building an understanding of Cecilia's mental state. When things start to happen, they happen so stealthily that I needed to hit the rewind button a couple of times (no cinema experience for this one I'm afraid). Cinematographer Stefan Duscio keeps slowly panning away from Cecilia across the room to show empty corridors before slowly panning back again. It's superbly effective and was comprehensively creeping me out!

When the set action pieces do occur then they are satisfactorily exciting, albeit wildly implausible. I did not see some of the "Surprises" coming, making them jolt-worthy. And the denouement really delivered for me, reminiscent of Hitchcock's style.

Now most famous for "Mad Men" and "The Handmaids Tale" on TV, Elisabeth Moss has delivered a range of impressive film performances including in "High Rise" and - as most closely related to this role - in "Girl, Interrupted" as mental patient Lisa. It's a star turn, no doubt about it.

This movie was intended by Universal to be part of the "Dark Universe" series. But the Tom Cruise flop "The Mummy" unfortunately put paid to that. Which is a great shame. If they'd started with this one, then they might have had a hit on their hands. With a post-credits "monkey" (there isn't one in this movie by the way) they could have lined up into the follow-up movie and started the ball rolling.

It's a rollicking action flick that had my attention throughout. This is all helped along by a very effective soundtrack by British composer Benjamin Wallfisch, using strange atonal electronica to heighten the suspense.

However, the initial question it poses - haunting, 'all in the mind' or something else - gets clarified a little too early for me (and - note - is spoiled by the trailer), so the movie falls short of being a classic for that reason.

There's one aspect of the movie that really irritated me. And that is that there was no credit whatsoever for the idea of H.G. Wells that originated this story. There's a discussion of that here: since Wells died in 1946, his copyright will have expired on his works 70 years later. This is definitely NOT a retelling of his story, but in reusing the novel's title it would seem at least 'polite' to include a "Based on an idea by H.G. Wells" in the credits somewhere.

All in all, this is still a bit of a B-movie, but its a bloody good one! Utterly preposterous at times, and with decision-making that would feel at home within the Trump presidency, it's an entertaining rollercoaster of a movie. Definitely comes with a "recommended" from me and I'll look forward to a re-watch at some point.

For the full graphical review, please check out "bob the movie man" on the web - thanks).

Mad scientist is also an abusive stalker. Starting when Cecelia gets away from the abusive stalker, she nonetheless continues to be impacted by the echoes of the emotional abuse. But these aren't echoes. Elizabeth Moss does well to turn the woman of domestic violence into one of psychological breakdown. She keeps the movie engaging. Whannell manages the direction of this film well (he also wrote the story and screenplay). He frames shots expertly to give empty space a personality. Worth the rental.

Immerse yourself in a not uncommon story of a woman fighting an aggressive and violent male predator, where the assaults can come out of the blue, often do, and for little or no reason, or justification (not that there could ever be any).

An outstanding lead from Elisabeth Moss in a genuinely suspenseful piece of cinema with a refreshing perspective on a tried and tested theme.

I was big fan of Elisabeth Moss in Mad Men and I was hoping to see more interesting movies or series with her. However The Handmaid's Tale is unwatchable to me and looks like in The Invisible Man she is playing quite similar role of female victim of men.

There are many reviews already explaining why this movie fails - it just doesn't many any sense. To me it was really difficult to find any likable characters so I didn't really care what's going on in the movie. I don't like plot, I don't like acting.

WHANNELL has been in my opinion one of the most underrated director /writers for a long time. He was mostly behind the insidious and saw franchises And came out with the spectacular futuristic thriller upgrade in 2018. His brilliant style is once again back with full force in this new adaptation of the invisible man. many people will just look at this like another Blum house manufactured film at first but realize that just because it has the production name on it doesn't mean it will be another throwaway film. This film much like upgrade thrives with a crisp smart script and fantastic visuals. Whannell has a keen eye for detail and it shows in bunches in this film. Elizabeth Moss also gives a phenomenally dedicated performance And sheds emotion throughout. There are many moments in this vicious film that you will not see coming and I was actually surprised by the amount of brutality which serves the overall story well. This is a new take on a classic universal monster that you will not want to miss and it's definitely worthy of going to see in the theater unlike many films of late.

"He said that wherever I went, he would find me, walk right up to me, and I wouldn't be able to see him."

I probably yawned and rolled my eyes when I first heard they were rebooting The Invisible Man. This idea had been done and done and done...right? Wrong! Director Leigh Whannell breathes new life into the concept. Now it's a vehicle for Elisabeth Moss, as Cecilia, who is in every scene and steals them all.

Sound and vision are used to keep you on edge. Is Cecilia suffering a mental breakdown because of her abuse...or is there an invisible man following her? Moss and Whannell squeeze every ounce out of this scenario and it all works. This movie even sidesteps the science missteps of earlier versions with an updated version of the character. Though very different from the book by H.G. Wells, I feel like he would approve.

The main character was beyond stupid In this whole movie Time and time again She kept not doing things That made the whole movie frustrating to watch I won't spoil anything on what those things were But this movie was painful I have no clue why it's rated so well And how people got enjoyment out of this crap

I will never tell someone not to watch something But I certainly won't say I enjoyed it

There were a few scenes that were cool And the Concept of things was intriguing But not enough to save the film